Automobile trouble indicator



March 3,1931. s. B, FLICKER 1,795,114

AUTOMOBILE TROUBLE INDICATOR Filed Dec. 15, 1926 u INYENTOR, Feat man 3F72 eke]? 744771055 ATTORNEY.

Patented Mar. 3, 1931 [UNITED STATES BEN-TMANB. FLICKER, or PHILLIPS,WISCONSIN AUTOMOBILE amounts INDICATOR Application filed December 15,1926, Serial No. 155,090.

This invention relates to automobile troub-leindicators, and especiallyto a device for automatically indicating to the eye of an automobiledriver, not only that the auton'iobile is not operating perfectly, or indanger of being injured by some defect or omis sion, but also toindicate the exact trouble and the exact point at which the trouble islocated.

The foregoing paragraph may be taken as indicating the main object ofthis invention, and another object is to provide a device of thischaracter which is comparatively simple of construction, compact inarrangement, ex-

15 ceedingly efficient in operation, and capable of being applied topractically every. make and style of automobile. i i

7 Other objects and important features are pointed out or implied in thefollowing de- 2 tails of description, in connection with-theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fi 'ure 1 is a face view of the device applied to the dash or cowl ofthe automobile.

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Figure 3 isa horizontal sectional view along the line 3-8 of Fig.4.

Figure l is an enlarged fragmental detail view of the mechanism forindicating the "t"- spark plug trouble.

Referring to these drawings, in detail, in which similar referencecharacters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views, andinwhich a part of a dash or cowl is if? shown for illustrating theapplication of my invention, the entire front or face of the device isshown on the cowl in Figure 1,it being understood that this front-orface 11 is the front wall of a casing which has one of its end wallsindicated at 13. This casing also has a bottom or floor 14 (see Figures2 and 3) While this casing is shown of one-piece construction, exceptits cover and back, it is understood that it may be of any appropriateconstruction and of any appropriate material.

Within the casing described in the preced- 7 ing paragraph, devices arearranged for op crating to indicate spark plug trouble, timer 59 circuittroubles, gas circulation, and lubricating oil temperature. Suitableopenings are provided in the front wall or face plate 11 for parts ofthese devices to extend through. into plain View of the automoblledriver or operator while he operates the. automobile on which thisdevice is applied. These trouble indicating devices will now beseparately described in detail, as follows: i T

In rear 01 an upper opening 16 and a lower opening 17 (of the face plate11) is located the mechanism shown in Figures 2, 3 and 5, this mechanismincluding a vertical rod 18 which is preferably of hard rubber or otherinsulating material. The upper end of this rod is providedwith a handle19 which is i also of insulating materal. This rod 18 has thereonalternate series of insulating rings or collars 20 and conducting ringsor collars 21, these rings or collars being of equal and uni? formdiameter, and being secured on the rod 7 18 by any appropriate means. Onoppositesides ofthe vertically movable switch. meniber 18192021, Iprovide two series of conducting plates 22, the plates of each seriesbeing in superposed and spaced relation, and being held in such spacedrelation by means of insulating washers or spacers 23 which may be ofany appropriate size, shape or material. Each conducting plate 22 isprovided with an opening 24; through which an insulating rod 25 extends,it being understood that each series of plates 22 is held in cooperativerelation with the vertically movable rod 18 and its adjuncts by means ofone of these rods 25 and spacing members 23. It should also beunderstood that the upper and lower ends of the rods 25 can be securedto the casing by an appropriate means, so they are held in fixedrelation with the casing, and each series o! conducting plates is spacedfrom the other series so that no current can flow from one to anotherexcept when the conducting members 21 electrically connect them as shownin Figure 2. It should be understood that the conducting members 21normally stand in the space between the horizontally alinedconductingplates 22 of each pair, 'andthat the contacting surfaces ofthese plates 22 are 'concaved so as to closely fit aroundthe conduct ingmembers 21, and around the insulating members 20 when the handle 19 israised for bringing these members 21;between the horinumber of circuitclosing connections such as shown in Figure-2 will correspond to thenumber of spark plugs to be tested. Each conducting plate 22, of oneseries-,is suitably connected with a conducting wire 26 which extends toand is connectedwith' the distribu-' tor, and each plate 22 of the Otherseries is P suitably connected with a conducting wire 27 which extendsto andis connected with one of the spark plugs, it being understood thatthere is a conducting wire 26 for each binding post of the distributor,and that there is a conducting wire 27. foreach o'neof the spark plugs.It is also understood that this mechanism forms part of the high-tensioncircuit between the distributor and the spark plug of an automobile.

' The method of testing the respective circuits through the spark plugis as follows:

,Bjy raisingthe handle 19 until all of the conducting members 21 are outof contact with the conducting members 22, a spark gapis providedbetween the adjacent ends of the conductors 22,,and-a spark will be seento jump across the spark gap ineach spark plug circuit in which thecurrent 'is sufiiciently strongyand in any spark gap where the spark isnot seen,it is thus indicated that the currentis notsufiiciently strongin this particular spark plug circuit, or that there is a looseconnection, a short circuit or other trouble with respect to thisparticular spark plug -circu'it.' It is understood that the sparkgapbetween the iront'edgcs oi the members '22 is a few thousandths of aninch narrower than the spark gap atjthespark plug, and thatthe spark gapat the rear edges'oi the members 22 is considerably'wid'er thantheotherspark gaps, *so that no hidden spark will-pass from one to another ofthe plates 22. By alter- I nately raising and lowering the rod 18 andits conducting members 21, while watching 7 therespective spark gaps,the spark plug circuits can be very quickly and easily tested while theautomobile is traveling-,ior the spark plug circuits need not be brokenmore thaninstantaneously in order :to' ascertain whether any particularone of them is missing or weak. Another way of testing the spark plugcircuits is to raise the circuit closing device 1819 21 one-space at-atime until the lowermost member 21 is between the uppermost pair'oi theconducting plates 22,

and watching each spark gap as the circuit closing. device is raisedbeyond i-t.- The index numbers 1, 5:, :3, 6, 2, 4, the aocornpanyingthis trouble indi'cato-r'is applicable, not only to automobiles, butalso to internal combustion engines of every kind and for every purose.V

VVh'at I claim as my invention is:

1. Ina trouble indicating mechanism for internal combustion engines,"twoseries of electric conducting contacts arranged in pairs having sparkgaps between those of each pair, thecontactsof one series being pro,-vided with means for electrically connecting the1n respectiv-ely to thespark plugs of one of the said engines, the contacts of the other seriesbeing provided with means for electrically connecting them respectivelyto the distributor of the engine, a series of alined and unitedcircuit-closing contacts insulated from one another and disposed betweensaid two series. of fixed contacts, and means to move said aline'dcontacts in thedirection oi theiralinement and thereby bring each thesealined contacts from between a corresponding pair of said fixedoontac'tsand thereby to form spark-gaps between said fixed contacts ofeach pair. I V- 2. In a trouble indicating mechanism for an internalcombustion engine, two series of electric conducting contacts arrangedin pairs and provided with means to electrically connect them in theignition circuit of said engine, a serles of aljm'ed conducting members,insulating elements between the almed contact elements, andm'eanscombining with able longitudinally iorj'moving Said al'ined conductingmembers and insulating elements alternately into and out of contact withsaid pairs of electric conducting contacts, for the Y In testimonywhereof I afiix my signature. BENJ'MAN 'B. FLICKEB.

words ,Firing order, and the accompanying arrows, combine to show thefiring order

